Cops and firefighters make ultimate sacrifices
To the editor:
Cops and firefighters in Southern Nevada earn a significant annual salary thanks in part to overtime. It is cheaper for government to pay overtime than to hire additional staff.
Cops and firefighters do hazardous work and consequently have high injury rates and lower life expectancies. Firefighters in particular have much higher cancer rates due to the regular exposure to toxic chemicals associated with firefighting.
What happened to telling the full story?
Recent articles make no mention of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the lives of others, or those who fight off cancer to go back to the job, or suffer permanent injury or disability from the job. Every cop and firefighter deals with these issues as part of his career, and goes to work anyway. You can make the argument that government should incur higher costs by reducing overtime and hiring more personnel, but do not do it at the expense of those willing to put their lives on the line to make this community safe.
If you have not noticed, Las Vegas ranks high among the nation's most dangerous cities. We need more cops and firefighters, not less.
George Tiaffay
LAS VEGAS
Gun haters
To the editor:
This week, the Review-Journal ran an article about the dedication ceremony of the Clark County Shooting Park and how much Harry Reid supports the Second Amendment. But nowhere in the article do you mention that Harry Reid is the designated Nevada representative of the most anti-gun president in history.
Nor do you mention his close relationship with the most anti-gun speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Nor do you mention Sen. Reid's love affair with the extreme anti-gun Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Nor do you mention the senator's support of Cass Sunstein, the Obama choice to head up the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, who has published articles supporting animal lawsuits against humans and in opposition to private ownership of firearms.
Nor do you report on Sen. Reid's support of Eric Holder, our openly pro-gun-control attorney general. You didn't report on Sen. Reid's support of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack for secretary of agriculture, who vetoed dove hunting legislation.
And Sen. Reid couldn't wait to support President Obama's nomination of Lisa Jackson, fresh from her campaign to shut down bear hunting in New Jersey, for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Harry Reid carried the ball for Obama's nomination of David Michael, an extreme ant-gun zealot to head OSHA. The new secretary of education, Arne Duncan, is considered one of the most extreme anti-gun members of President Obama's Cabinet. Who was his most ardent supporter? Sen. Reid, of course. I also noticed that Mr. Obama's Clark County reps, Tom Collins and John Lee, were very visible at this event, too.
And are we not tired of hearing that old stale story of Harry and the rabbit? Remember when he was going through that same old story back during the groundbreaking of the shooting park and he waved the gun muzzle out toward the crowd and had people scattering?
Sure, Harry, John and Tom were instrumental in getting the park land from the feds. But for crying out loud, don't name it for any of them.
James W. Lucey
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Shame! Shame!
To the editor:
You should be ashamed of the editorial in Wednesday's Review-Journal in which you attempted to blame Harry Reid for Nevada ranking last in terms of receiving stimulus funds. Don't you read your own newspaper?
We have a moron for a governor, who has steadfastly dragged his feet on the stimulus, first attempting to refuse it altogether, despite the worst budget crisis in state history, then getting into a dispute with the Legislature over who controls the funds.
Your hatred for Harry Reid compelled you to blame him instead of the fool in the governor's office for Nevada's position. You couldn't be more transparent.
Shame on you.
David Adams
LAS VEGAS
On meth
To the editor:
Thank you for providing your readers with a front-page article (including picture) of how to create one's very own meth lab (Aug. 25).
I eagerly await the stories you will eventually write about the new wave of budding chemists whose experiments have gone wrong after following your instructions.
You were careful not to publish the exact procedures and doses needed to create this elixir, however, many of the products necessary were clearly displayed in the accompanying photograph.
So if I get the message correctly:
-- You've provided people with information that will more easily enable them to break the law.
-- You will castigate law enforcement officials for not effectively enforcing that law.
-- You will, with great glee, report about the demise of such people who shake or take the cap off of the formula with too much vigor or in unnecessary haste.
I can see the next headline now: "Rachael Ray's 30-minute recipe not followed correctly -- man dies in explosion."
Are you reporting the news or more concerned with creating it?
Keep up the good work.
William Troeger
LAS VEGAS
Reid whopper
To the editor:
Sen. Harry Reid and President Obama saved the planet? According to Sen. Harry Reid, the $1 trillion stimulus/pork package saved the planet from economic catastrophe (Thursday Review-Journal). And he wonders why people claim he is out of touch?
This whopper of a tall tale came from his campaign speech at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday and helped him avoid answering the big question on everyone's mind: How he plans to pay for Mr. Obama's $1 trillion health care takeover.
Mark Anthony
LAS VEGAS
Desert farmers
To the editor:
Robert Glennon's Friday analysis of countrywide water shortages (Review-Journal commentary page) gave a well-reasoned analysis of the crisis caused by not prioritizing how our resources are used.
Not assigning a value to our water encourages overuse and prevents it from being used where it has its highest value.
Our Colorado River water shortage is a perfect example. If all users had to pay, say, 10 cents for every thousand gallons they consume, this subsidy for growing cotton and alfalfa in the desert would be cut and cities such as Las Vegas wouldn't be in such a bind.
Why should we have to spend $4 billion to bring water from Northern Nevada just so these outmoded farmers can have a free ride?
Tom Keller
HENDERSON
